Automotive Ekports May 2024
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Monthly automotive aftermarket magazine<br />
GROUP CHAIRMAN<br />
H. FERRUH ISIK<br />
PUBLISHER:<br />
İstmag Magazin Gazetecilik<br />
İç ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti.<br />
Managing Editor (Responsible)<br />
Mehmet Söztutan<br />
mehmet.soztutan@img.com.tr<br />
Advertising Sales Consultant<br />
Adem Saçın<br />
+90 505 577 36 42<br />
adem.sacin@img.com.tr<br />
Enes Karadayı<br />
enes.karadayi@img.com.tr<br />
International Marketing Coordinator<br />
Ayca Sarioglu<br />
ayca.sarioglu@img.com.tr<br />
Advisory Editor<br />
Yusuf Okçu<br />
yusuf.okcu@img.com.tr<br />
Finance Manager<br />
Cuma Karaman<br />
cuma.karaman@img.com.tr<br />
Digital Assets Manager<br />
Emre Yener<br />
emre.yener@img.com.tr<br />
Technical Manager<br />
Tayfun Aydın<br />
tayfun.aydin@img.com.tr<br />
Graphic & Design Advisor<br />
Sami aktaş<br />
sami.aktas@img.com.tr<br />
Accountant<br />
Yusuf Demirkazık<br />
yusuf.demirkazik@img.com.tr<br />
Subsciption<br />
İsmail Özçelik<br />
ismail.ozcelik@img.com.tr<br />
HEAD OFFICE:<br />
İstmag Magazin Gazetecilik<br />
İç ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti.<br />
Ihlas Media Center<br />
Merkez Mah. 29 Ekim Caddesi No: 11B / 21<br />
Yenibosna Bahcelievler, Istanbul / TÜRKİYE<br />
Tel: +90 212 454 22 22<br />
www.img.com.tr sales@img.com.tr<br />
KONYA:<br />
Metin Demir<br />
Hazım Uluşahin İş Merkezi C Blok<br />
Kat: 6 No: 603-604-605 KONYA<br />
Tel: (90.332)238 10 71 Fax: (90.332)238 01 74<br />
PRINTED BY:<br />
İHLAS GAZETECİLİK A.Ş.<br />
Merkez Mahallesi 29 Ekim Caddesi İhlas Plaza<br />
No:11 A/41 Yenibosna–Bahçelievler/ İSTANBUL<br />
Tel: 0212 454 30 00<br />
www.ihlasmatbaacilik.com<br />
Mehmet Soztutan, Editor-in-Chief<br />
mehmet.soztutan@img.com.tr<br />
Automechanika Istanbul full speed!<br />
Turkish automotive industry, with its vehicles and components manufacturing<br />
sub-sectors, is one of the major exporting industries of the Turkish economy.<br />
As noted earlier in this column, the autoparts industry of Türkiye has developed<br />
rapidly as a consequence of developments in the automotive industry. The<br />
autoparts industry with its large capacity, wide variety of production and high<br />
standards, supports automotive industry production and the vehicles in Türkiye<br />
and also has ample potential for additional exports. Business people operating in<br />
the industry have become outward oriented more than ever before.<br />
These companies not only dominate the primary supply markets but also capture<br />
an increasing share of the replacement market. Their continued success in<br />
exports markets depend on close technical links with part makers in industrialised<br />
countries and the willingness of their foreign partners to integrate their Turkish<br />
counterparts into their production-distribution networks as regular suppliers of<br />
high quality, low-cost components.<br />
Türkiye’s autoparts industry exports are increasing steadily year by year. Türkiye<br />
is the only country within the surrounding geographical area to have established<br />
a well-advanced automotive industry. Therefore, the automotive industry is<br />
strategically important both for Türkiye and for firms that will invest in Türkiye.<br />
We think that technology will always be the key for the survival of the automotive<br />
industry. History says so.<br />
This month, we participate in Automechanika Istanbul <strong>2024</strong> to convey the<br />
message of the Turkish automotive and auto spare part exporters. The stars of the<br />
automotive world will be meeting at the Fair as usual.<br />
Automechanika Istanbul <strong>2024</strong>, showcasing the latest global trends, has turned<br />
out to be a remarkable automotive aftermarket platform globally. The Fair<br />
which covers the full range of automobile, truck and bus parts, equipment,<br />
components, accessories, tools, and services continues to bring world renowned<br />
manufacturers, suppliers and service providers in touch with one of the most<br />
important growing markets in the world.<br />
The markets targeted by the Fair are widely recognised as the most attractive in<br />
the world in terms of future potential for business opportunities.<br />
Our publications remain at the service of those business people seeking to<br />
increase their share in the increasingly competitive automotive markets.<br />
We wish lucrative business for all participants.<br />
automotiveexport<br />
EDİToR<br />
automotiveexports
Auto sales increase 6 percent in March<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
A total of 109,828 passenger cars and light commercial<br />
vehicles were sold in Türkiye in March, marking a<br />
5.7 percent increase from a year ago, data from the<br />
<strong>Automotive</strong> Distributors’ and Mobility Association<br />
(ODMD) have shown.<br />
The passenger car market expanded by 9.9 percent<br />
year-on-year as sales amounted to 87,071 units. The<br />
annual rise in sales slowed from 72 percent in January<br />
and 40 percent in February. But more passenger cars<br />
were sold last month than in January and February.<br />
Light commercial vehicle sales, however, plunged 7.9<br />
percent from March 2023 to 22,757.<br />
Last month, 6,784 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in<br />
Türkiye, pointing to a 209 percent year-on-year. The<br />
share of EVs in total vehicle sales was 7.8 percent,<br />
according to the numbers of the association.<br />
The EV market grew nearly 255 percent in the first<br />
quarter of <strong>2024</strong> compared to the January-March period<br />
of last year. In the quarter, a total of 16,556 EVs were<br />
sold in the country, capturing a 7.1 percent share in<br />
total vehicle sales.<br />
The combined sales of passenger cars and light<br />
commercial vehicles increased by 25.2 percent in the<br />
first three months of <strong>2024</strong> to 295,519 units, according<br />
to ODMD data.<br />
The passenger car market grew more than 33 percent<br />
with sales reaching 233,389 units.<br />
The annual increase in light commercial vehicle sales<br />
was only 2.6 percent to 62,130, according to the data.<br />
8
CEO expects Togg to become profitable by 2027<br />
April <strong>2024</strong><br />
12<br />
Togg, Türkiye’s first homegrown electric vehicle maker,<br />
may become profitable as early as 2027, its CEO<br />
Gürcan Karakaş has said.<br />
“We started selling cars in 2023. So, to reach<br />
profitability, I think it will take four to five years from<br />
that point,” Karakaş told <strong>Automotive</strong> News Europe in<br />
an interview.<br />
Togg delivered 19,583 vehicles last year, according to<br />
data from the <strong>Automotive</strong> Distributors’ and Mobility<br />
Association. EV sales in Türkiye leaped 833 percent in<br />
2023 from 2022 to 72,179 units.<br />
“Based on an analysis of the market that we did with<br />
Boston Consulting, the conclusion was that by 2032,<br />
give or take two years, the profitability structure will<br />
shift to a 50-50 mix for digital services and car sales,”<br />
Karakaş said.<br />
Now, the stress they face is increasing production to<br />
meet demand, but it will take time because they didn’t<br />
expect to reach that level of output at their plant near<br />
Istanbul for four to five years, he added.<br />
Karakaş said that their business plan until 2032 doesn’t<br />
include launching in the U.S. or China.<br />
“However, since we have seen good progress,<br />
we could be in a position to surpass the<br />
175,000-production capacity at our plant earlier than<br />
expected. We think that with demand at 350,000, we<br />
would still primarily be in the European space.”<br />
If demand goes beyond 500,000 or 600,000 then they<br />
would need to look at additional markets, Karakaş<br />
said. The CEO also noted that Togg is not aiming to<br />
offer a 20,000-euro EV.<br />
“If you want to have something that is state of the<br />
art when it comes to the battery, connectivity, safety,<br />
cybersecurity and the electric architecture, that already<br />
costs more than 20,000 euros,” he said.<br />
Togg’s third car will be smaller than the first two, and<br />
it will be less expensive, but it will not be priced at<br />
20,000 euros, Karakaş added.
Car sales hit 300,000 in first quarter of <strong>2024</strong><br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
The combined sales of passenger cars and light<br />
commercial vehicles will likely reach a quarterly record<br />
of 300,000 in the January-March period, according to<br />
representatives of the auto industry.<br />
In March alone vehicle sales could reach some 120,000<br />
units, they said.<br />
In the first two months of <strong>2024</strong>, the auto market<br />
expanded by 41 percent from a year ago as a total of<br />
186,000 vehicles were sold.<br />
Passenger car sales grew more than 52 percent<br />
annually to 146,318, while the year-on-year increase in<br />
light commercial vehicles was 9.8 percent to 39,343,<br />
according to the latest data from the <strong>Automotive</strong><br />
Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD).<br />
Consumers rushed to dealers to buy cars before the<br />
local elections, anticipating that the government may<br />
resort to further monetary tightening, which could<br />
lead to higher loan rates. Potential buyers expect<br />
hikes in the prices of brand new and used cars for the<br />
remainder of the year, which gave a boost to sales<br />
during the first quarter. Sales in March were strong due<br />
to demand from disabled individuals, who wanted to<br />
benefit from the special consumption tax exemptions<br />
on cars and purchases by rental companies, according<br />
to experts.<br />
In March, almost four out of 10 cars were sold to<br />
individuals who provided medical reports showing that<br />
they have disabilities. Meanwhile car dealers offered<br />
discounts of up to 10 percent, ahead of the elections.<br />
Experts, however, differ on the outlook in the car<br />
market in <strong>2024</strong> with some forecasting a 30 to 35<br />
percent contraction in sales this year.<br />
Last year, a record 1.23 million passenger cars and<br />
light commercial vehicles were sold in Türkiye.<br />
However, representatives of Stellantis Group in Türkiye<br />
are more optimistic about the prospects.<br />
They forecast total vehicles sales at 1.1 million units<br />
this year.<br />
16
Turkish automotive production<br />
expands, exports remain strong<br />
<strong>Automotive</strong> production in Türkiye expanded in the first<br />
quarter of the year with exports from the sector also<br />
maintaining upward momentum, the industry data<br />
showed. The total automotive production in the first<br />
three months of the year surged by 3% compared to<br />
the same period last year, reaching 377,070 units, the<br />
data from the <strong>Automotive</strong> Manufacturers Association<br />
(OSD) revealed.<br />
Accordingly, automobile production saw a 7% increase<br />
year-over-year, reaching 238,274 units. Together with<br />
tractor production, total production was realized at<br />
390,925 units. Commercial vehicle production in<br />
the first quarter of the year dropped by 4% versus<br />
the same period last year, while there was a 5%<br />
decrease in the light commercial vehicle group and a<br />
1% increase in the heavy commercial vehicle group,<br />
respectively. During this period, the capacity utilization<br />
rate of the automotive industry was 77%.<br />
Exports on rise Meanwhile, the data also showed that<br />
the automotive exports rose 1% on the quantity basis<br />
in the first quarter of <strong>2024</strong>, when compared to the<br />
same period last year, to 256,511 units.<br />
During the period there was a fall of 2% in automobile<br />
exports versus the first quarter of a year earlier, while<br />
the commercial vehicle exports were up by 5% yearover-year<br />
in January-March.<br />
Tractor exports dropped by 13% compared to the<br />
same period in 2023, at 4,562 units.<br />
Overall, total automotive industry exports maintained<br />
its top position in the sectoral export ranking with a<br />
14% in the first quarter of the year, according to the<br />
data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).<br />
The exports from the automotive industry stood at<br />
$9.2 billion in the first three months of the year, up 5%<br />
year-over-year, the data from the Uludağ Exporters’<br />
Associations (UIB) data showed.<br />
In the January-March period, the total market grew by<br />
24% compared to the same period last year, reaching<br />
307,461 units. During this period, the automobile<br />
market also reached 233,389 units, with a 33%<br />
increase. Looking at the commercial vehicle market,<br />
there was a 2% increase in the total commercial<br />
vehicle market compared to the same period last year,<br />
a 3% growth in the light commercial vehicle market<br />
and a 1% decrease in the heavy commercial vehicle<br />
market.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
24
European car market contracts<br />
in March, EVs share slips<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
The European car market experienced its first decline<br />
of the year in March, with the share of electric cars<br />
falling below last year’s levels, according to official data<br />
released. Some 1.03 million new passenger cars were<br />
registered last month in the European Union, down<br />
5.2% from a year earlier, the European Automobile<br />
Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said in its monthly<br />
report, citing the impact of early Easter holidays<br />
and a market downturn. According to the ACEA, car<br />
registrations fell in March by 6.2% yearly in Germany,<br />
4.7% in Spain, 3.7% in Italy and 1.5% in France,<br />
reflecting contraction in the four largest markets. For<br />
the first three months of the year, registrations are up<br />
4.4% from the year-ago period. The strongest quarterly<br />
growth was in France and Italy, which saw registrations<br />
rise by 5.7%, while they were up by 4.2% in Germany<br />
and 3.1% in Spain. Even though Europe plans to ban<br />
the sale of new internal combustion engine cars by<br />
2035, sales of electric cars have stalled in the past few<br />
months. EV sales growth has slowed, and investment<br />
in capacity and technology development has outrun<br />
demand as many prospective buyers are deterred by<br />
cost and continuing doubts about infrastructure.<br />
Only 13% of new registrations in March were electric,<br />
up slightly from 12% in February but down from 14.6%<br />
for all of last year.<br />
In Germany alone, registrations of electric cars fell by<br />
28.9%. On the other hand, hybrid cars accounted for<br />
29% of the market in March, up from 24.4% in March a<br />
year ago. The Volkswagen group, which also includes<br />
Audi and Skoda, remained the largest seller of cars<br />
in Europe, though its share of the market shrank 0.8<br />
points to 24.9%.<br />
Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat) also lost 0.4 points to<br />
18.9%. Among gainers, hybrid-specialist Toyota saw<br />
its share jump 1.1 points to 8.1%.<br />
The number of new vehicles registered in March in the<br />
EU, Britain and the European Free Trade Association<br />
(EFTA) fell by 2.8% to 1,383,410 vehicles, despite a<br />
10.4% increase in Britain, the ACEA data showed.<br />
26
Türkiye’s Vestel unveils new<br />
mobility unit, sets sights on growth<br />
Turkish home and professional appliances<br />
manufacturing company, Vestel, which specializes<br />
in electronics, unveiled its new startup unit “Vestel<br />
Mobilite,” which unites all mobility and energy storage<br />
projects, run on substantial investments throughout the<br />
last 10 years, under a single umbrella organization.<br />
The new company for the production of electric vehicle<br />
(EV) charging stations, energy storage systems and<br />
automotive electronics was introduced at a news<br />
conference attended by Vestel CEO Ergun Güler.<br />
The company aims to turn its newly founded mobility<br />
and energy storage unit into at least a $1 billion (TL 32<br />
billion) business in three years, according to Güler.<br />
In his keynote speech, Güler introduced Vestel<br />
Mobilite as a newly established entity that represents a<br />
divergence from the parent company’s traditional focus<br />
on the production of white goods and electronics.<br />
Traditionally a consumer electronics and durable goods<br />
manufacturer, Vestel branched into auto electronics<br />
and display systems through its partnership with the<br />
country’s first electric vehicle producer Togg, the best<br />
seller in the local market.<br />
With the global-scale paradigm shift toward electric<br />
vehicles, Güler said the company aims to align with<br />
this trend and participate more in this market.<br />
Vestel CEO Ergun Güler, Istanbul, Türkiye, April 4,<br />
<strong>2024</strong>. The company’s interest in this sector has<br />
extended to a 23% stake in Togg, the Turkish EV<br />
manufacturer headquartered in the country’s northern<br />
Kocaeli province and founded in 2018 by a joint<br />
venture of five Turkish companies.<br />
Vestel intends to work on the software and technology<br />
for the in-car screens, or what he calls “the computers<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
28
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
of the cars,” which Vestel already manufactures and<br />
supplies. According to Güler, the company’s ultimate<br />
goal is to develop its role as one of the most important<br />
players in EV charging stations, with a larger global<br />
share in this field.<br />
He also pointed out that by 2030, electric vehicles are<br />
expected to reach a 45% share of overall global vehicle<br />
sales, subsequently producing significant opportunities<br />
in automotive electronics with an increasing demand<br />
for EV charging stations.<br />
He described the company’s ambitious goal to<br />
establish itself as a leader in technology in Türkiye with<br />
the hope of obtaining a ranking in the Fortune Global<br />
500, an annual ranking of the top 500 companies<br />
globally based on revenue.<br />
As part of its new growth strategy, Vestel aims to<br />
grow “exponentially” in its newly founded mobility<br />
unit, hitting either $1 billion in revenue or market<br />
capitalization in three years, Reuters quoted Güler as<br />
saying.<br />
“We are open to all collaboration or partnerships,”<br />
he said. Vestel Mobilite will operate in Europe, the<br />
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – markets worth<br />
a collective $580 billion – focusing on EV components,<br />
charging stations and large-scale electricity storage<br />
systems.<br />
Vestel also signed a non-binding agreement with<br />
China’s Shenzhen Desay Battery Technology Ltd.<br />
to design and assemble commercial-scale battery<br />
modules in Türkiye, Vestel Mobility’s head Hakan<br />
Kutlu said. The company will consider an initial public<br />
offering (IPO) once operations are mature, Kutlu said,<br />
without elaborating.<br />
Battery production capacity is expected to begin at 2<br />
gigawatts (GW) per annum, with sales initially geared to<br />
local hybrid power plants, where electricity storage is<br />
integrated into renewable energy plants.<br />
Vestel has produced electric charging stations for the<br />
past seven years, exporting to more than 30 countries,<br />
including Poland, Spain, Italy and Greece.<br />
Its portfolio consists of charging units capable of<br />
charging from 60 kilowatts to 720 kilowatts, but<br />
Güler said 1,000 kilowatt units would hit the market<br />
in January 2025.The company is on a fast track with<br />
its R&D, production, sales and marketing teams and<br />
has a presence not only in Türkiye but also in the<br />
Netherlands, the Far East and India.<br />
Parent company Vestel aims to double its core<br />
electronics and durable goods revenue over the next<br />
three years from around $4 billion currently, Güler<br />
said. The company has not yet released its end-2023<br />
financials.<br />
30
Kaya Plastic <strong>Automotive</strong> always gears<br />
up in the automotive aftermarket industry<br />
It works according to the domestic and international market needs and trends. It has a fame<br />
to run from one project to another to keep up with the ever-changing market needs.<br />
without products. That’s why we are very happy and<br />
proud. As a company, we are constantly experiencing<br />
growth both in the physical workplace, in product<br />
diversity, and in terms of customers and turnover. Our<br />
greatest mission is to constantly conduct research and<br />
continue looking forward.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Kaya Plastic <strong>Automotive</strong> has a very rich product<br />
portfolio and it a highly dynamic brand chasing after<br />
new developments. We spoke with Aydın Kaya,<br />
Assistant General Manager, and Nurşen Kaya, Manager<br />
of Export Division about their success story.<br />
Could you briefly introduce yourself and your<br />
company?<br />
KAYA PLASTIC AUTOMOTIVE is a family company<br />
whose foundations were laid in 1978. Our company<br />
has worked and continues to work in line with its own<br />
goals and objectives every year since the day it was<br />
founded. The main aim of our company is to produce<br />
and sell the best that can be done in its work. At this<br />
point, we are witnessing these in terms of quality<br />
and customer satisfaction. Our advantages in many<br />
points such as product diversity, close relations with<br />
customers, continuity and problem solving have carried<br />
us to this day and contributed to our deep-rooted<br />
connections. Even during the pandemic period, while<br />
many companies were temporarily or permanently<br />
closed, we constantly produced and shipped in our<br />
company so that our customers would not be left<br />
What is in your product portfolio and what are the<br />
prominent factors in these products? What kind of<br />
work do you do on product development and R&D?<br />
Our product range includes nearly 600 products and<br />
more than 800 molds, which have been accumulated<br />
over the years. When choosing our products, we<br />
work according to the needs of the markets, both<br />
domestic and international needs and trends. Our<br />
product portfolio includes many products such as<br />
Rear fog lights, Radiators and Water tanks, Gear<br />
knobs, Oil bars, Fender signals, Glovebox covers,<br />
Fog light frames, Seat adjustment handles, Ceiling<br />
lights, Trunk release buttons, License plate lights.<br />
We are a company that constantly works on product<br />
development. We are constantly improving how we<br />
can produce our products better and ship them as<br />
needed. We constantly receive appreciation and<br />
positive feedback from our customers in this regard.<br />
We are a company that constantly continues to work<br />
with new projects. What draws attention in the diversity<br />
of our products is that we create a range according<br />
to the needs of customers in each continent. In other<br />
words, while we generally protect and develop spare<br />
parts for old model vehicles for North African countries<br />
and Eastern Anatolia, we try to produce and develop<br />
new model vehicle parts for European markets. This<br />
requires working for the needs of each continent<br />
and market, and also requires having a wide range.<br />
Otherwise, you cannot meet the need. Our biggest<br />
difference at this point and the main reason why we<br />
are ahead of our competitors is that there are many<br />
different products in our product groups that we group<br />
within their own range without being captured from<br />
a single point. While this makes you unique on the<br />
one hand, it also causes you to compete in different<br />
products rather than just one type of product.<br />
32
What are the features that make you superior to<br />
your competitors?<br />
I think our biggest difference and superiority, as a<br />
company that has completed 44 years in the sector, is<br />
primarily having the power and relationships to ensure<br />
continuity. . Of course, to be able to do this requires<br />
strong insight, solid analysis ability, creating customer<br />
satisfaction, problem-solving skills, being innovative,<br />
competitive price, reliable, loving your job, and always<br />
looking forward, respecting our business, our suppliers<br />
and customers, and doing good needs analysis. We<br />
think that these are our most important differences<br />
and that we love our job, producing and serving. We<br />
increase our production and product diversity by<br />
observing the momentum of each competitor and<br />
evaluating possible situations. In fact, in a way, what<br />
makes us different from others is doing what has not<br />
been done before. We do not prefer to open a döner<br />
restaurant next to a döner restaurant just because it<br />
sells a lot. Everyone’s job and destiny is different. We<br />
prefer to open a pita restaurant to add variety to the<br />
döner restaurant and not to undermine the winner.<br />
Products that are difficult to make and difficult to<br />
produce are especially our business. We have always<br />
been, and still are, a company whose ideas are taken,<br />
followed and copied in the industry. All of this, of<br />
course, stems from years of experience and the fact<br />
that we carry many features together. If some of our<br />
customers want to work with us, sell and promote our<br />
products, but do not prefer that manufacturer, even<br />
though our prices for some products are a little higher<br />
than the other competitor’s, all we have to do here is to<br />
be rightfully proud. This means that we are on the right<br />
track in many issues and we think it is necessary to<br />
continue this.<br />
Do you have any investments planned in the short,<br />
medium and long term?<br />
Yes, we have different investment plans both<br />
domestically and internationally. In particular,<br />
companies that want to use know-how from abroad<br />
and seek partnerships are increasing. We will be here<br />
with new surprises and good developments in the<br />
coming days. We have investment ideas in many new<br />
areas, both domestically and internationally, and we<br />
will try to implement them as soon as possible. As<br />
a company that is talked about and followed in the<br />
sector, you will definitely be aware of this. Our motto is;<br />
When you stop, you fall, we will continue running.<br />
Can you give details about your exports?<br />
Your current and target markets, international<br />
promotion, participation in fairs, etc. What would<br />
you like to say about your strategies?<br />
We like to much working as an export company.<br />
In this context, it makes us very happy to provide<br />
employment and to see that our products are sold<br />
in various markets and are in constant demand. Our<br />
overseas customers like us very much because of<br />
the quality of our products, our company stance<br />
and our competitive attitude. We strive to serve and<br />
respond to the needs of different markets and further<br />
increase our exports. Our products are in demand in<br />
various countries on 5 of the 7 continents. We see our<br />
products directly and indirectly in these countries. We<br />
are pleased to see our own products even in a market<br />
and customer where we do not sell directly. We are a<br />
company that continues to produce and export with a<br />
portfolio of dozens of customers in 28 countries on 5<br />
continents.<br />
We like using both domestic and international fairs<br />
every year for export. It gives us pleasure to listen<br />
to our existing and new prospective customers and<br />
update ourselves. We targeted 5 different fairs in<br />
<strong>2024</strong> and started working on them. Fairs we will<br />
attend this year: Automechanika Istanbul held in<br />
Tüyap, Latin Parts Panama, Automechanika Moscow,<br />
Automechanika Frankfurt and Expo Cairo-Egypt fairs.<br />
Is there any issue or issues you would like to<br />
particularly emphasize?<br />
We work to protect and continuously improve existing<br />
products on the one hand, we develop new products<br />
according to the needs of the markets on the other.<br />
In addition, we attach great importance to product<br />
development documents and status documents. There<br />
are investment documentation studies carried out by<br />
our company. We obtained the EAC certificate required<br />
for Russian exports after great effort and expensive<br />
costs. We had some of our lighting group products<br />
redone for the European market and received E-Mark<br />
certification from Europe for 17 different lighting<br />
products. Apart from these, we also obtained our<br />
exporter documents and our Euipo-based Overseas<br />
Trademark Registration certificate, which is registered<br />
by 22 European countries, as a result of long efforts.<br />
As of this year, we are switching to a B2B system for<br />
our customers. These are studies that were completed<br />
last year and this year, but we will continue to run with<br />
new surprises and expansions in the coming days.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
33
Togg dominates Türkiye’s<br />
EV market with over 4K units sold in Q1<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Türkiye’s first indigenous electric vehicle, Togg,<br />
emerged as an EV market leader in the first quarter<br />
of the year with over 4,000 units sold, according to<br />
industry data compiled by Anadolu Agency.<br />
Togg sold 4,145 vehicles in the first three months of<br />
the year, as shown by the data compiled by AA from<br />
the <strong>Automotive</strong> Distributors and Mobility Association<br />
(ODMD).<br />
Data revealed that car sales in Türkiye remained strong<br />
despite the surge in borrowing costs and inflation as<br />
overall monthly and quarterly sales rose.<br />
The ODMD said sales climbed 25.2% to 295,519 units<br />
in the January-March period compared to the first<br />
quarter of last year.<br />
During this period, car sales increased by 33.05% to<br />
233,389 units, while light commercial vehicle sales rose<br />
by 2.6% to 62,130 units.<br />
Meanwhile, according to the data, the number of “fully<br />
electric” car sales in January-March increased by<br />
275.9% to 14,158.<br />
The share of fully electric cars in total sales rose from<br />
2.1% to 6.1%, while the share of hybrid cars increased<br />
from 11% to 14.2%.<br />
When considering fully electric, extended-range<br />
electric and hybrid vehicles, electric motor-equipped<br />
vehicles accounted for 21.3% of the total market.<br />
According to ODMD data, Togg, which continues to<br />
increase its popularity among electric car brands,<br />
maintained its market leadership in the first quarter of<br />
the year.<br />
Togg, which was officially rolled out late in 2022, is<br />
currently producing a fully electric C-segment SUV at<br />
its plant in northwestern Bursa province. The brand<br />
launched the production of its T10X in October 2022<br />
before starting deliveries last April.<br />
Earlier this year, Türkiye’s first domestically produced<br />
electric car brand also unveiled its sedan model T10F<br />
at CES <strong>2024</strong>, a major consumer electronics and IT fair<br />
held in Las Vegas.<br />
In addition to the SUV and sedan, Togg is expected to<br />
manufacture three other models – a C-hatchback, a<br />
B-SUV, and a B–MPV – by 2030.<br />
Selling 4,145 units in January-March, it surpassed its<br />
closest competitor by 2,533 units.<br />
During this period, Togg’s market share in the<br />
electric car market stood at 29.7%; in other words,<br />
approximately one out of every three electric cars sold<br />
across the country was a Togg T10X model.<br />
Following Togg, German brands were seen in the top<br />
three and were followed by South Korean brands.<br />
BMW ranked second with 1,612 sales, while Mercedes<br />
Benz ranked third with 1,064 units sold.<br />
Ssangyong ranked fourth with 830 sales and Hyundai<br />
ranked fifth with 770 sales in the first three months,<br />
respectively.<br />
Among Chinese brands, MG stood out with 768 sales,<br />
followed by BYD with 550 sales and Skywell with<br />
96 sales. The increasing trend of electric cars in the<br />
Turkish car market remains relatively high, as several<br />
EV makers, including Chinese giant BYD and Tesla, of<br />
tech billionaire Elon Musk, entered the market last year.<br />
Tesla, the U.S.-based car manufacturer, sold 375 cars<br />
in three months but did not make it to the top 10,<br />
according to the ODMD data.<br />
Looking at the electric car market on a model basis,<br />
Togg T10X was the best-selling model. The BMW 5<br />
Series ranked second, Ssangyong Torres third, MG4<br />
fourth and Atto 3 fifth<br />
36
Vehicles are safer with Lider Filter<br />
Lider Filtre ile taşıtlar daha güvenli<br />
Her çeşit araç için hava filtreleri üreten Lider Filtre<br />
Otomotiv firmasının sahasındaki liderliğinin sırlarını<br />
Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Erol Soytaş’a sorduk.<br />
We asked Erol Soytaş, Chairman of the Board of<br />
Directors, the secrets of the leadership of Lider Filter<br />
<strong>Automotive</strong>, which produces air filters for all kinds of<br />
vehicles.<br />
Could you briefly introduce yourself and your<br />
company?<br />
Lider Filtre Otomotiv Sanayi Ltd. Şti. was founded by<br />
Erol Soytaş in 1993 and started to produce air filters<br />
in the automotive sector in Istanbul. It is a dynamic<br />
company that closely follows the technology and<br />
continues its necessary investments.<br />
What is in your product portfolio and what are the<br />
prominent factors in these products? What kind of<br />
work do you do on product development and R&D?<br />
We manufacture air filters for heavy-duty construction<br />
machinery, tractors, light vehicles and automobiles.<br />
What are the features that make you superior to<br />
your competitors?<br />
Our company has taken its respected place in the<br />
market by producing quality products through quality<br />
raw materials, high technology and professional staff.<br />
Do you have any investments planned in the short,<br />
medium and long term?<br />
We are doubling our production potential and<br />
expanding our machine park. With this growth, we are<br />
also doubling employment. Thus, we aim to offer more<br />
products to more customers and we will provide better<br />
quality service.<br />
Could you briefly introduce yourself and your<br />
company?<br />
Lider Filtre Otomotiv Sanayi Ltd. Şti. kurumumuz Erol<br />
Soytaş tarafından 1993 yılında kurumuş İstanbul’da<br />
otomotiv sektöründe hava filtreleri üretimine<br />
başlamıştır. Teknolojiyi yakından takip edip gerekli<br />
yatırımlarına devam eden dinamik bir şirkettir.<br />
What is in your product portfolio and what are the<br />
prominent factors in these products? What kind of<br />
work do you do on product development and R&D?<br />
Ağır vasıta iş makineleri, traktör, hafif araçlar ve<br />
otomobiller için hava filtreleri üretimi yapmaktayız.<br />
What are the features that make you superior to<br />
your competitors?<br />
Firmamız kaliteli hammadde, yüksek teknoloji ve<br />
profesyonel elemanları vasıtasıyla kaliteli ürünler<br />
üreterek piyasadaki saygın yerini almıştır.<br />
Do you have any investments planned in the short,<br />
medium and long term?<br />
Üretim potansiyelimizi iki katına çıkarak makine<br />
parkurumuzu genişletiyoruz. Bu büyüme ile istihdamı<br />
da iki katına çıkarıyoruz. Böylece daha çok ürünü daha<br />
çok müşteriye sunmayı hedefliyoruz ve daha kaliteli<br />
hizmet vereceğiz.<br />
Can you give details about your exports?<br />
Your current and target markets, international<br />
promotion, participation in fairs, etc. What would<br />
you like to say about your strategies?<br />
Yurt dışı fuarlarına katılım sağlıyoruz. Genelde Orta<br />
Asya ülkelerine ihracat yapıyoruz.<br />
Batı Asya ülkelerine de ihracat yapmaktayız. Zaman<br />
içinde ihracat ağımızı daha da geliştirmeyi planlıyoruz.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Can you give details about your exports?<br />
Your current and target markets, international<br />
promotion, participation in fairs, etc. What would<br />
you like to say about your strategies?<br />
We participate in fairs abroad. We generally export to<br />
Central Asian countries.<br />
We also export to West Asian countries. We plan to<br />
further develop our export network over time.<br />
38
Number of EVs in Türkiye<br />
could reach 4 million in decade<br />
The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on Turkish roads<br />
is projected to exceed 4 million units by 2035, while<br />
the number of charging socket points is estimated to<br />
reach nearly 350,000, according to the data compiled<br />
by Anadolu Agency (AA) on.<br />
According to information compiled from the Electric<br />
Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Projection<br />
prepared by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority<br />
(EMRA), the increase in electric vehicles and charging<br />
points is considered a positive step for developing the<br />
e-mobility ecosystem.<br />
The projection considers increasing the number of<br />
electric vehicles and rapidly expanding the charging<br />
infrastructure throughout the country as a strategic<br />
goal.<br />
As a result, Türkiye is projected to reach 4.2 million<br />
electric vehicles and 347,934 charging sockets by<br />
2035.<br />
Electric vehicles are considered to be more efficient,<br />
and that, combined with the electricity cost, means<br />
that charging an electric vehicle is cheaper than filling<br />
petrol or diesel for your travel requirements. Using<br />
renewable energy sources can make the use of electric<br />
vehicles even more eco-friendly.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
40
However, EMRA’s projection includes three scenarios<br />
regarding the number of electric vehicles and charging<br />
infrastructure: low, medium and high.<br />
According to the given projection, the number of<br />
electric vehicles could reach 202,030 in the low<br />
scenario, 269,154 in the medium scenario and 361,893<br />
in the high scenario by 2025.<br />
Moreover, by 2030, this figure is estimated to be<br />
776,362 in the low-case scenario, 1.32 million in the<br />
medium scenario and 1.67 million in the high scenario,<br />
respectively.<br />
By 2035, the number of EVs, on the other hand, is<br />
expected to be 1.78 million in the low scenario, 3.3<br />
million in the medium scenario, and 4.2 million in the<br />
high scenario, meaning most ideal in these terms.<br />
With the rise in electric vehicles and the development<br />
of charging infrastructure, a consequent increase in the<br />
number of charging stations and socket points is also<br />
expected.<br />
In 2025, the number of charging socket points is<br />
calculated to be 34,278 in the low scenario, 46,070 in<br />
the medium scenario and 61,897 in the high scenario.<br />
Five years later, this figure is projected to rise to 85,543<br />
in the first case scenario, 142,824 in the second and<br />
181,274 in the high scenario.<br />
Furthermore, by 2035, the number of charging socket<br />
points is expected to be 146,916 in the low scenario,<br />
273,076 in the medium scenario and 347,934 in the<br />
high scenario.<br />
The projection also anticipates that total electricity<br />
consumption due to electric vehicles will range from<br />
3.98 to 9.39 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2035.<br />
A period of rapid development in the EV ecosystem<br />
has been visible in Türkiye and around the globe, with<br />
projections of top associations, most recently the<br />
International Energy Agency (IEA), indicating that this<br />
trend is on course to continue in the upcoming years.<br />
IEA said in its report that global electric car sales are<br />
set to remain robust in <strong>2024</strong> and could reach a new<br />
record of around 17 million by the end of this year,<br />
compared to 14 million sold last year.<br />
According to the EMRA, the electric vehicle charging<br />
network infrastructure plays a key role in achieving<br />
energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint as the<br />
foundation of an environmentally friendly transportation<br />
system. In addition, Türkiye’s renewable energy<br />
potential and advanced energy infrastructure present<br />
an important opportunity to support the widespread<br />
use of electric vehicles.<br />
Compared to the beginning of last year, when 14,896<br />
electric vehicles were present in Türkiye, this figure has<br />
now climbed to 93,973.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
42
Honda to set up $11B EV, battery<br />
plant in record Canada investment<br />
April <strong>2024</strong><br />
Japanese auto giant Honda announced it would build a<br />
massive new electric vehicle battery and car assembly<br />
plant worth C$15 billion ($11 billion) in the largest<br />
automotive investment in Canada’s history.<br />
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe told a joint news<br />
conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and<br />
other officials that electric vehicles will start rolling off<br />
the new assembly line in 2028.<br />
Once fully operational, the factory will have a<br />
production capacity of 240,000 vehicles per year and a<br />
battery output of 36 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year.<br />
“The world is changing rapidly, and we must work<br />
toward realizing carbon neutrality to sustain the global<br />
environment,” Mibe said.<br />
Honda estimates that 1,000 new jobs will be produced<br />
at the facility, which is to be built next to its existing<br />
Civic and CR-V assembly plants north of Toronto that<br />
already employ 4,200 workers.<br />
Trudeau touted Ottawa’s efforts to set up “a whole<br />
ecosystem” around the production of electric batteries,<br />
positioning Canada as an attractive destination<br />
for electric vehicle investment, with generous tax<br />
incentives, renewable energy access and its rare<br />
mineral deposits.<br />
“Because of the choices our government has made<br />
over the past few years, Canada now ranks first,<br />
globally in Bloomberg’s ranking of lithium-ion battery<br />
supply chains,” Trudeau said.<br />
Ontario Premier Doug Ford noted that his province<br />
is “the only place in the world that six of the largest<br />
automakers call home” and with Honda’s investment<br />
is now “leading the world in the electric vehicle<br />
revolution.”<br />
In the federal budget, Trudeau’s government<br />
introduced a new business tax credit, granting<br />
companies a 10% rebate on construction costs for<br />
new facilities used in key segments of the electric<br />
vehicle supply chain.<br />
The estimated value of the federal tax credit for<br />
Honda’s new facility is C$2.5 billion, while Ford said<br />
the province is contributing another C$2.5 billion in<br />
incentives.<br />
In the last four years, automotive and battery makers<br />
have announced more than C$31 billion in investments<br />
in electric vehicle manufacturing across Canada.<br />
Canada’s strategy follows that of the neighboring<br />
United States, whose Inflation Reduction Act has<br />
provided a host of incentives for green industry.<br />
Since 2021, Honda has made big outlays as it<br />
aggressively pursues its objective of becoming 100%<br />
electric in its automobile segment by 2040.<br />
Its new facility in Alliston, Ontario will be the first to<br />
tap into Canada’s EV supply chain investment tax<br />
credit and joins recently announced Volkswagen and<br />
Stellantis battery plants in Canada.<br />
Honda will also build a cathode active material and<br />
precursor processing plant as well as a separator<br />
plant through joint ventures with chemical companies<br />
POSCO Future M and Asahi Kasei in order to complete<br />
its local EV supply chain.<br />
44
Nissan plans to slash EV production<br />
costs, boost global sales<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Japanese automaker Nissan announced that it would<br />
expand its electric vehicle lineup, develop more<br />
powerful batteries and slash production costs while<br />
speeding up the whole process in what its chief called<br />
“The Arc” pathway to higher sales by 2030.<br />
“The auto industry is now being forced to reshape its<br />
values so we can say continuous change is the new<br />
normal,” CEO Makoto Uchida told reporters, outlining<br />
a sprawling but ambitious business plan.<br />
“Nissan must change. We cannot succeed if we<br />
continue along the same path.”<br />
Costs will come down for electric models, so they’ll be<br />
about the same as gasoline-engine models by fiscal<br />
2030, while global sales will grow by a million vehicles<br />
during that period, he added.<br />
Last year, Nissan Motor Co. sold nearly 3.4 million<br />
vehicles worldwide, up about 5% from the previous<br />
year.<br />
The company plans 30 new models over the next<br />
three years, 16 of them EVs. Nissan plans to launch<br />
34 EV models from fiscal <strong>2024</strong> through fiscal 2030 so<br />
that EVs will account for 40% of its global offerings by<br />
fiscal 2026 and 60% by the end of the decade.<br />
To slash costs, Nissan says it will start working with<br />
suppliers from the development stage, upgrade<br />
production methods to incorporate robotics and<br />
artificial intelligence, and have models share<br />
components – not just platforms but also parts. It also<br />
promised innovation in autonomous vehicles to make<br />
driving safer.<br />
Nissan, based in the port city of Yokohama, southwest<br />
of Tokyo, will leverage its partnerships around the<br />
world, including those with smaller Japanese maker<br />
Mitsubishi Motors Corp., with Dongfeng Nissan in<br />
China and in the alliance it has with French automaker<br />
Renault.<br />
Earlier this month, Nissan announced it was in talks to<br />
form a partnership with Japanese rival Honda Motor<br />
Co. in electrification and artificial intelligence.<br />
Such tie-ups between rivals are relatively unusual but<br />
are needed to keep up with surging demand for more<br />
sustainable transport as concerns grow over carbon<br />
emissions and sustainability, analysts say.<br />
Nissan, Japan’s No. 2 automaker, was an early EV<br />
adapter, coming out with the Leaf EV in late 2010. In<br />
recent years, Japanese automakers have fallen behind<br />
Tesla of the U.S. and Chinese manufacturers like BYD.<br />
Automakers, including Nissan, have taken a hit from<br />
shortages of computer chips and other parts due to<br />
disruptions related to the pandemic.<br />
Nissan’s offerings of new EVs, plug-ins and hybrids will<br />
increase across all global markets, including the U.S.,<br />
Europe, Japan, the rest of Asia, Australia and Africa,<br />
Uchida said.<br />
“The Arc plan shows our path to the future. It<br />
illustrates our continuous progression and ability to<br />
navigate changing market conditions. This plan will<br />
enable us to go further and faster in driving value and<br />
competitiveness,” he said, referring to Nissan’s goals.<br />
Nissan’s stock price, which shot up earlier this month<br />
after its talks with Honda were announced, finished 2%<br />
lower shortly before Uchida’s news conference.<br />
46
Turkish manufacturing<br />
index holds steady<br />
in March<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Factory activity in Türkiye was highly neutral in March,<br />
signaling unchanged operating conditions for Turkish<br />
manufacturers during the month, a closely watched<br />
business survey showed.<br />
The headline Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)<br />
slipped slightly to the 50.0 no-change mark in March<br />
from 50.2 in February, data provider S&P Global’s<br />
monthly report, prepared in collaboration with the<br />
Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO), said.<br />
The report indicated that business conditions were<br />
stable overall during the month.<br />
The PMI is a key economic indicator that provides<br />
insight into the health of the manufacturing industry. A<br />
reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a below<br />
50 suggests contraction.<br />
Manufacturing output grew fractionally in March, while<br />
new orders and employment eased marginally but<br />
neared stabilization.<br />
New orders eased to the smallest extent in nine<br />
months, encouraging some firms to expand production<br />
and increase purchasing activity in March.<br />
Inventories continued to moderate, however, with<br />
stocks of both purchases and finished goods scaled<br />
back at the end of the first quarter. Some firms<br />
experienced delays in receiving inputs as a result of<br />
disruption in the Red Sea, with lead times lengthening<br />
for the third month running.<br />
Evaluating the data, S&P Global Market Intelligence<br />
Economics Director Andrew Harker said: “March was<br />
a month of stability for Turkish manufacturers. New<br />
orders continued the recent move towards stabilization<br />
and this improving picture prompted further modest<br />
increases in output and purchasing.”<br />
“If the recent trend in demand continues, we should<br />
hopefully see growth building momentum as we go<br />
through the second quarter of the year,” he added.<br />
48
Tesla rebounds on new models plan<br />
after 55% fall in net profit in Q1<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Tesla reported a big slump in quarterly profits amid an<br />
increasingly cutthroat electric vehicle market and price<br />
reductions of some of its models, but shares pulled<br />
back as CEO Elon Musk pledged to accelerate plans<br />
for a more affordable EVs.<br />
Tesla reported profits of $1.1 billion, down 55% from<br />
the year-ago quarter on revenues of $21.3 billion, down<br />
9% as the company described EV sales as “under<br />
pressure.”<br />
However, shares rocketed up more than 11% in afterhours<br />
trading after Tesla pledged to “accelerate” new,<br />
more affordable autos – something Wall Street analysts<br />
have been clamoring for.<br />
The results, which lagged analyst estimates, come<br />
as investors have sought greater strategic clarity<br />
from Musk amid a weaker performance and as the<br />
mercurial Tesla boss has touted Robotaxis as a venture<br />
at a time when there are increasing questions about<br />
the timeframe that autonomous technology will be<br />
commercially viable.<br />
The company, which recently announced layoffs of<br />
some 14,000 workers, has also undertaken a recall of<br />
its Cybertruck due to an acceleration problem.<br />
Cutting headcount by more than 10% will save Tesla<br />
more than $1 billion annually in costs, Chief Financial<br />
Officer Vaibhav Taneja said on a conference call with<br />
analysts.<br />
Despite the belt-tightening, Tesla’s report did provide<br />
some news likely to cheer investors, saying it planned<br />
to “accelerate the launch of new models ahead of our<br />
previously communicated start of production in the<br />
second half of 2025.”<br />
The new vehicles will include “more affordable<br />
models,” Tesla said.<br />
50
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
At the outset of conference call, Musk said production<br />
on the vehicles would start in early 2025 or late <strong>2024</strong>, up<br />
from the prior timeframe of the latter half of 2025.<br />
Musk said the vehicles “will use new aspects of the<br />
next-generation platform as well as aspects of our<br />
current platform. “So, it’s not contingent on any new<br />
factory or massive new production line.”<br />
Musk declined to elaborate on the plan, saying<br />
more details would be released in August.The Tesla<br />
CEO spoke at length about the promise of Tesla’s<br />
autonomous ventures, saying valuing the EV maker like<br />
a car company is the “wrong framework.”<br />
“If somebody doesn’t believe Tesla is going to solve<br />
autonomy, I think they should not be an investor,” he<br />
said. The statement about new vehicles comes on the<br />
heels of speculation that Tesla is shelving plans for the<br />
“Model 2,” the unofficial name of what is expected to<br />
be a mass-marketed, lower-priced vehicle.<br />
While Tesla’s statements about new vehicles boosted<br />
shares, “the company still hasn’t offered timelines for<br />
these new vehicles, which could take years to come<br />
to market at a time when EV competition in various<br />
markets is intensifying,” said Gadjo Sevilla, senior<br />
technology analyst at Emarketer.<br />
Tesla also said it will continue to pursue a<br />
“revolutionary” manufacturing strategy on a “purposebuilt<br />
robotaxi product.”<br />
Leading analysts have expressed skepticism about the<br />
embrace of the Robotaxi venture.<br />
Deutsche Bank analysts downgraded Tesla to a<br />
“hold,” pointing to disappointments about the<br />
rumored Model 2 delay that weren’t offset by the<br />
Robotaxi push.<br />
Musk announced that the Robotaxi will be unveiled<br />
in August “in no way means the technology is ready,”<br />
said Deutsche Bank, pointing to “technological,<br />
regulatory and operational challenges” that could<br />
hamper its commercial prospects.<br />
“We worry there is considerable execution risk to the<br />
development of Robotaxi technology and that a fleet<br />
deployment could be years away,” Deutsche Bank<br />
said. Shoggi Ezeizat, analyst at Third Bridge, said<br />
Tesla’s ambitious push in robotaxis “could provide<br />
a competitive edge” with “sustained and robust”<br />
commitment.<br />
However, the campaign “carries significant risks,”<br />
including regulatory challenges, scaling demands<br />
and the potential for setbacks “that could impede<br />
progress and affect consumer trust in autonomous<br />
services,” Ezeizat said.<br />
Heading into <strong>2024</strong>, Tesla watchers were already<br />
girding for a tougher path, with Musk’s oncedominant<br />
leadership in EVs facing more competition<br />
from rivals, resulting in a series of price cuts.<br />
However, things have been bumpier than expected,<br />
with news of the job cuts and lower vehicle deliveries,<br />
followed late by Tesla’s recall of the Cybertruck due<br />
to an acceleration problem.<br />
52
Welcome to Automechanika Istanbul!<br />
The Meeting Point of Continents and <strong>Automotive</strong> Industry-Where You Should Take Part<br />
World’s leading trade fair brand for the automotive<br />
aftermarket industry, Automechanika’s one and only<br />
event in Türkiye, Automechanika Istanbul will take<br />
place on <strong>May</strong> 23 - 26, <strong>2024</strong> at Istanbul TUYAP Fair and<br />
Congress Center.<br />
Automechanika Istanbul brings industry, retail and<br />
seminars together in one place. The latest edition in<br />
June 2023 brought a total of 58.024 professionals from<br />
all around the world together with 1437 exhibitors from<br />
41 countries and 10 country pavilions.<br />
Automechanika Istanbul covers the full range<br />
of automobile, truck and bus parts, equipment,<br />
components, accessories, tools, and services<br />
continues to bring world renowned manufacturers,<br />
suppliers and service providers in touch with one of the<br />
most important growing markets in the world.<br />
As for this year:<br />
• Industry meeting point-Automechanika Istanbul<br />
brings industry, retail and seminars together in one<br />
place.<br />
• At the heart of the action- Istanbul’s location is<br />
literally a bridge between Europe, the Middle East,<br />
North Africa and CIS regions.<br />
• Large yet accessible: Each year, hundreds of<br />
exhibitors come here to showcase their latest<br />
developments. Thanks to the exhibition grounds’ clear<br />
structure and visitor guidance systems, you’ll have no<br />
trouble finding what you’re looking for.<br />
• Globally networked- more than 40.000 buyers build<br />
relationships with suppliers from all over the world.<br />
You should get connected with the future of the<br />
automotive service industry at the Turkey’s leading<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
54
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
trade fair Automechanika Istanbul. As a meeting place<br />
for the industry, dealership trade and maintenance<br />
and repair segment, it provides a major platform for<br />
business and technological knowledge transfer.<br />
While the automotive industry continues to develop<br />
through electric vehicles and solutions, Turkish<br />
manufacturers, which develop themselves with the<br />
focus on technology and innovative solutions, are<br />
also focusing on the future with Automechanika<br />
Istanbul. Underlining that Automechanika Istanbul<br />
is the most important fair of the sector, Ali Ozcete,<br />
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the <strong>Automotive</strong><br />
Aftermarket Products and Services Association (OSS),<br />
stated, “As an association, we have been one of the<br />
main supporters of the fair for years. Automechanika<br />
Istanbul is a very valuable fair for both us and our<br />
members. Automechanika Istanbul provides a<br />
great opportunity for companies to improve their<br />
relationships with their customers, establish new<br />
connections and therefore strengthen their position<br />
in the market. “Last year, we attended the fair with<br />
approximately 130 members and received positive<br />
feedback from all our members.”<br />
Ozcete added, “Automechanika Istanbul allows our<br />
members to exhibit and promote innovations in the<br />
sector, while also allowing them to establish business<br />
connections and network. In addition, it also offers<br />
the opportunity to examine market conditions in<br />
the automotive aftermarket sector and determine<br />
future trends. Thus, participants can access data to<br />
support their business decisions by analyzing the<br />
strategies of their competitors and other players in<br />
the industry. We also organize various events with our<br />
members within the scope of the fair. During the fair,<br />
which is very productive for the sector, we organize<br />
both international conferences and various events<br />
and panels. In this way, exhibitors and visitors can<br />
learn about the latest developments in the sector<br />
and have the opportunity to interact with experts.”<br />
He commented on the importance of Automechanika<br />
Istanbul for the industry with his words.<br />
“Our export companies operating in the automotive<br />
industry managed to deliver their products to 112<br />
countries in 2023.” Underlined by these words that<br />
Automechanika Istanbul, which will be held for the<br />
17th time this year between 23-26 <strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong>, will bring<br />
together the entire automotive after-sales value chain.<br />
Ozcete said, “Our members are participating in the fair<br />
in many countries where Automechanika takes place.<br />
We attach great importance to the organization held<br />
in Istanbul. The fair makes significant contributions<br />
to our industry with the innovations it provides every<br />
year. The issues affecting the automotive after-sales<br />
sector specifically for <strong>2024</strong> and in the coming years<br />
include many important topics such as the production<br />
of spare parts required for electric and autonomous<br />
vehicles, digitalization, automation and the widespread<br />
use of robotics. In addition to the products and services<br />
exhibited this year, Automechanika Istanbul <strong>2024</strong> will<br />
offer an environment where all these technological<br />
developments will be shared for automotive industry<br />
professionals. In this sense, we can say that the<br />
innovations and events at the fair will be very beneficial<br />
for us.” He shared his comments with his words.<br />
Continuing his words with the work within the scope<br />
of the “Balance at Work” project that they have<br />
implemented as an association, Ozcete stated, “We<br />
started the Balance at Work project in order to see more<br />
educated students in our sector and to communicate<br />
with them easier and faster. With this project, we have<br />
increased the employment of female employees in<br />
our sector.” In this regard, we also ensure that the<br />
students we work with participate in the fair every year,<br />
bring them together with companies and invite them<br />
to our panels, so that they get to know the sector. In<br />
this way, they get to know the fair and communicate<br />
with our members. This year, within the scope of the<br />
project, we also ensure that students get to know the<br />
Automechanika brand. “We plan to shed light on their<br />
future by hosting them in Istanbul,” he said.<br />
56
Türkiye bolsters EV sales, races<br />
towards top 5 among EU states<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Türkiye has been shown to have performed better<br />
compared to many European Union countries in fully<br />
electric car sales in the first two months of this year,<br />
according to an Anadolu Agency (AA) report, based on<br />
industry data.<br />
Accordingly, the sales of fully electric cars reached<br />
8,255 units in January-February, according to the data<br />
compiled by AA from the <strong>Automotive</strong> Distributors and<br />
Mobility Association (ODMD).<br />
Looking at the overall sales, the petrol cars ranked<br />
first with 97,861 units sold, while hybrid cars came in<br />
second with 21,594 units sold in Türkiye during the<br />
same period.<br />
Diesel sales stood at 15,910 units, and LPG (liquefied<br />
petroleum gas) sales were at 1,181 units, according to<br />
the data.<br />
Furthermore, while electric vehicle sales stood at 8,255<br />
units when vehicles with an extended range (which<br />
operate by running an electric motor with a petrol<br />
engine generator to charge the battery) were included,<br />
the sales figures for electric cars rose to 9,772.<br />
Extended-range vehicles are also classified as<br />
“electric” under the international coding system,<br />
Customs Tariff Statistics Position (GTIP).<br />
Car sales in the first two months increased by 49.3%<br />
for petrol cars when compared to the same period last<br />
year, decreased by 0.5% for diesel and decreased by<br />
43.3% for LPG cars.<br />
During this period, hybrid car sales surged by 113.8%<br />
and fully electric car sales soared by 329.5%.<br />
According to the data obtained by AA, while the share<br />
of petrol, diesel and LPG cars in total sales decreased<br />
in the January-February period versus the same period<br />
the year earlier, the share of electric cars and hybrid<br />
cars picked up.<br />
The share of petrol cars in total sales, which was<br />
68.1% in the January-February period of last year,<br />
decreased to 66.9% in the first two months of this<br />
year. Meanwhile, the share of diesel cars dropped from<br />
16.6% to 10.9%, and the share of LPG cars decreased<br />
from 2.2% to 0.8%.<br />
At the same time, the share of fully electric cars<br />
58
increased from 2% to 5.6%, and the share of hybrid<br />
cars rose from 10.5% to 14.8%. When considering<br />
fully electric, extended-range electric and hybrid cars,<br />
electrified vehicles accounted for 21.5% of the total<br />
market.<br />
The increasing trend of electric cars in the Turkish car<br />
market remains high compared to European markets.<br />
This can be partly attributed to many European and<br />
Asian brands introducing their ambitious models to the<br />
Turkish market, in addition to the soaring interest in<br />
the first domestically produced electric vehicle, Togg,<br />
whose sales surpassed 2,800 units in the first two<br />
months of the year.<br />
According to ODMD data, Togg, which continues to<br />
rise among electric car brands, became the market<br />
leader with 1,201 units sold in February, leaving behind<br />
BMW and Ssangyong. Its total sales in the first two<br />
months reached 2,826 units, compared to only 295<br />
units of Tesla sold during the same period.<br />
Alongside electric cars, the number of hybrid vehicles,<br />
another part of electric mobility, is also said to be<br />
increasing.<br />
Meanwhile, the analysis of data on European electric<br />
vehicle market sales showed that Germany stood at<br />
the forefront in the number of units sold in the first two<br />
months, leaving France closely behind and Belgium in<br />
third place.<br />
Germany, with 49,953 units sold, was the leader among<br />
the 27-member EU bloc, according to the recent<br />
European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association<br />
(ACEA) data. The total number of EVs sold in France<br />
was 45,842 units and in Belgium, there were 19,380<br />
units. The Netherlands ranked fourth with 17,004 sales<br />
and Sweden ranked fifth with 10,165 sales.<br />
The sales in Italy stood at 7,986 units and in Spain at<br />
7,180 units, while Denmark also quoted high with 8,100<br />
units sold and its neighboring Finland sold 2,917 units<br />
of electric cars during the same period.<br />
With 8,255 fully electric cars sold in the two months<br />
of <strong>2024</strong>, Türkiye was positioned at a high sixth place<br />
among EU countries, surpassing countries like Italy,<br />
Spain, Austria and EV-friendly Denmark and Finland.<br />
Looking at the data and the growth rate of the market,<br />
Türkiye, closely following Sweden, appears to be one<br />
of the closest candidates to rank among the top five<br />
countries in electric car sales. Industry representatives<br />
predict electric car sales across Türkiye could reach<br />
120,000 units this year.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
60
Türkiye’s foreign trade gap nearly<br />
halves amid upward export trend<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Türkiye’s foreign trade deficit narrowed by almost 50%<br />
in February, as exports grew and imports fell, official<br />
data showed.<br />
The shortfall fell by 44.2% from $12.13 billion in<br />
February 2023 to $6.77 billion, the Turkish Statistical<br />
Institute (TurkStat) said.<br />
Exports grew 13.6% compared to a year ago to nearly<br />
$21.1 billion. Imports declined 9.2% year-over-year to<br />
$27.85 billion, the data showed.<br />
Energy imports, which hold the biggest share in<br />
Türkiye’s purchases from abroad, dropped by 14.6% to<br />
$5.75 billion.<br />
Elaborating on the data, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat<br />
said Türkiye is achieving a more balanced structure of<br />
economic growth with the upward trend in exports and<br />
the decrease in imports.<br />
“With this positive trend in foreign trade, it is expected<br />
that net goods and services exports will make a<br />
positive contribution to growth in the<br />
first quarter of <strong>2024</strong>,” Bolat said in a<br />
statement.<br />
Excluding energy products and nonmonetary<br />
gold, exports stood totaled<br />
$19.6 billion, up 12.3% from a year<br />
ago, and imports came in at $20.99<br />
billion with a 5.2% increase in February.<br />
The foreign trade deficit – excluding<br />
energy products and non-monetary<br />
gold – totaled $1.4 billion, the data<br />
showed.<br />
For the January-February period, the<br />
gap decreased by 51% versus a year<br />
ago to $12.95 billion.<br />
Outbound shipments totaled $41<br />
billion, up by 8.5% year-over-year, and imports<br />
dropped by 16% to $54 billion over the two months,<br />
the TurkStat said.<br />
Bolat stressed what he said was a significant decrease<br />
in the current account deficit due the narrowing foreign<br />
trade gap.<br />
He recalled that the annualized current account deficit<br />
decreased by $22.6 billion this January compared to<br />
<strong>May</strong> 2023, reaching $37.5 billion.<br />
The current account is the most complete measure of<br />
trade because it includes investment flows and trade<br />
in merchandise and services. A deficit means Türkiye<br />
is consuming more from overseas than it is selling<br />
abroad.<br />
The February foreign trade reading signals a continued<br />
decline in the current account gap, said Bolat.<br />
“With the increase in exports and the decrease in<br />
imports, macroeconomic stability is strengthened,<br />
and a more balanced structure of economic growth<br />
is achieved. With this positive trend in foreign trade,<br />
it is expected that net goods and services exports<br />
will make a positive contribution to growth in the first<br />
quarter of <strong>2024</strong>,” the minister noted.<br />
Narrowing the current account gap and reaching<br />
a surplus were among the main goals of President<br />
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s economic plan in recent years.<br />
However, sharply rising oil, gas and grain prices after<br />
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused it to widen until<br />
mid-2023.<br />
The deficit in 2023 as a whole came in at $45.2 billion,<br />
down from $48.8 billion in 2022.<br />
62
On Filter always aims high<br />
Producing all kinds of oil-fuel and hydraulic filters, including spin-on type<br />
filters, air filters, cabin and element filters, On Filter company proudly<br />
serves its customers in more than 50 countries.<br />
Yusuf Yılmaz, general manager of On Filter<br />
In fact, On Filter supplies 5500 types of oil-fuel-airhydraulic-cabin-generator<br />
and compressor filters<br />
for all kinds of vehicles. The company has filters for<br />
large vehicle groups, automotive groups, construction<br />
equipment, generators, compressors and special<br />
hydraulic filter types. We asked their success story to<br />
Yusuf Yılmaz, general manager of the company. Full<br />
text of the exclusive interview follows:<br />
Could you briefly introduce yourself and your<br />
company?<br />
Yusuf Yılmaz, I am the general manager of On Filter<br />
Ltd. Şti. We serve our domestic and international<br />
customers with our registered trademarks ONFİL<br />
FİLTER and KRAFF FİLTER. Although we started<br />
production in 1996, our actual start as a filter<br />
salesman was in 1985. Our company produces all<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
64
kinds of oil-fuel and hydraulic filters, including spin-on<br />
type filters, air filters, cabin and element filters. It is<br />
an experienced company with TSE and ISO quality<br />
certificates, serving with a total of 5500 product types<br />
including large vehicle groups, automotive groups,<br />
construction equipment, generators, compressors<br />
and special hydraulic filter types. In addition, the<br />
ONFİL brand is an important organization with a<br />
wide portfolio, having its brand registered in many<br />
countries and having customers in approximately<br />
50 countries (distributorship in some countries).<br />
What is in your product portfolio and what are the<br />
prominent factors in these products? What kind<br />
of work do you do on product development and<br />
R&D?<br />
Our products are manufactured with utmost care and<br />
using the right materials. Mass production cannot be<br />
started without going through the testing phase to<br />
ensure correct filtration in vehicles. Our filters, which<br />
are released to the market after correct tests, reach<br />
the consumer with the confidence of the brand. Our<br />
portfolio includes more than 5500 types of oil-fuelair-hydraulic-cabin-generator<br />
and compressor filters<br />
for all kinds of vehicles. Our R&D studies are at the<br />
beginning stage, and we are increasing our range<br />
by adding at least 12-15 new product types to our<br />
portfolio every month.<br />
What are the features that make you superior<br />
to your competitors?<br />
Especially the quality of all our branded competitors<br />
is superior to each other. Each brand fulfills its<br />
duty completely by promoting Turkish goods in<br />
the international arena and competing with the<br />
understanding of quality products and services. Our<br />
company’s after-sales service approach is one of<br />
its top priorities. Our most important feature is our<br />
sincere commercial relations with our dealers and the<br />
ability to produce solutions together and achieve the<br />
right targets.<br />
Do you have any investments planned in the short,<br />
medium and long term?<br />
Recently, additions have been made to our spin-on<br />
lines and laboratory. On the one hand, a new 1550<br />
m2 additional raw material warehouse was built to<br />
address the warehouse problems caused by growth.<br />
Our most important project in the medium and long<br />
term will be to allocate at least 80-100 decares of<br />
land in one of the new organized industrial zones<br />
to be opened and establish a new factory facility of<br />
30,000 m 2 .<br />
5. Can you give details about your exports?<br />
Your current and target markets, international<br />
promotion, participation in fairs, etc. What would<br />
you like to say about your strategies?<br />
Domestic and especially international fair<br />
organizations are very important in terms of increasing<br />
exports and brand recognition. We participate in<br />
at least 2-3 international fair organizations every<br />
year. Recently, we participated in Kazakhstan,<br />
Senegal and Dubai fairs. We follow the right new fair<br />
organizations for new target regions. To mention a<br />
few target regions, we can count Saudi Arabia, Qatar,<br />
Uzbekistan, Romania, England, Spain, Argentina,<br />
Brazil and South Africa.<br />
Is there any issue or issues you would like to<br />
particularly emphasize?<br />
As ONFİL FİLTRE, our most important vision is to<br />
present our brand to our dealers in the best possible<br />
way without compromising on quality and to grow<br />
together. With this understanding, we strengthen our<br />
cooperation with our dealers and grow together every<br />
year. Our company’s motto for all motor vehicles<br />
using our filters is: “Your Vehicle is Safe with ON’s”<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
65
Türkiye’s Aselsan seals deals to<br />
export drone camera, guidance kits<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Türkiye’s prominent defense electronics manufacturer,<br />
Aselsan, announced that it had sealed three separate<br />
agreements, including the inaugural exports of new<br />
drone optical technology and guidance kits.<br />
The contracts, worth about $31.5 million, cover the<br />
GÖZDE guidance kit and ASELFLIR-500, an electrooptical<br />
reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting<br />
system that is considered the world’s best in its class.<br />
The electro-optic system is more advanced than the<br />
Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS), which<br />
Aselsan developed after Canada suspended sales of<br />
its optical equipment to Türkiye in 2020.<br />
Ottawa suggested that the system attached to<br />
Turkish-made drones had been used by Azerbaijan<br />
while fighting illegally occupying Armenian forces in<br />
Karabakh, the Azerbaijani enclave Baku has since<br />
liberated.<br />
The embargoed equipment included Wescam sensors<br />
used in Türkiye’s famed Bayraktar TB2 drones,<br />
developed by Baykar.<br />
This January, Canada announced it had dropped<br />
weapon export controls on drone parts, including the<br />
imaging and targeting system, shortly after Türkiye<br />
formally approved Sweden’s NATO membership bid.<br />
The GÖZDE guidance kit, developed jointly by Aselsan<br />
and TÜBITAK SAGE, entered inventory last year.<br />
It converts 500-pound MK-82 general-purpose bombs<br />
into INS/GPS and Laser Seeker Head (LAB) guided<br />
ammunition, facilitating precise strikes on stationary<br />
and high-speed moving targets (50-120 kilometers per<br />
hour).<br />
The guidance kit has been certified for F-16 and F-4<br />
aircraft, and integration has also been completed for<br />
Türkiye’s most advanced and sophisticated drone,<br />
Bayraktar Akıncı.<br />
The development of ASELFLIR-500 marks the latest<br />
advancement in the critical system that Türkiye for<br />
years imported from abroad.<br />
Its first mass-produced samples were unveiled last<br />
month, and engineers have begun their integration into<br />
domestic air platforms.<br />
With superior image clarity enabling more precise<br />
target identification, it promises to enhance operational<br />
success while contributing to the country’s economy<br />
through high-value exports, reaching up to $20,000 per<br />
kilogram.<br />
66
Türkiye’s solar power capacity<br />
surpasses 12,000 MW milestone<br />
The total installed capacity of solar energy in Türkiye<br />
exceeded 12,000 megawatts (MW) for the first time as<br />
of the end of February and reached 12,425 megawatts,<br />
according to the statement issued by the country’s<br />
Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.<br />
The statement from the ministry featured a graphic of<br />
the total solar capacity and showed that it increased<br />
from 11,316 MW in December to 11,838 MW in<br />
January and eventually 12,425 MW in February.<br />
The share of renewable energy in electricity production<br />
surpassed 51% in the first two months of the year. This<br />
rate was recorded as 51.63% in January and 51.03%<br />
in February, according to the ministry.<br />
The importance of solar and wind energy is increasing<br />
as renewable energy contributes to reducing<br />
dependency on imports and achieving climate change<br />
goals.<br />
As of the end of February, renewable energy sources<br />
constituted 56.21% of Türkiye’s installed electricity<br />
capacity.<br />
According to ministry data, there was a total increase<br />
of 2,000 megawatts in solar energy installed capacity<br />
last year and an increase of 1,109 megawatts in the<br />
first two months of this year.<br />
Thus, more than half of the increase achieved in 2023<br />
was reached in the first two months of this year.<br />
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan<br />
Bayraktar, whose evaluations were included in<br />
the statement, stated that more than 51% of total<br />
electricity production was provided from renewable<br />
energy sources in January and February, and they<br />
aimed to reach this rate on an annual basis.<br />
Over the last two decades, the drive to curb vast<br />
energy imports has seen Türkiye boost significantly the<br />
level of renewables in its energy mix.<br />
“In this context, our target for 2035 is to increase<br />
the share of renewable energy in production to 55%.<br />
The current picture at this stage shows that we are<br />
progressing steadily toward our 2035 target,” noted<br />
Bayraktar.<br />
He pointed out that renewable energy would be the<br />
key to Türkiye’s full independence in energy and said:<br />
“Our goal is to achieve an increase of 5,000 megawatts<br />
in installed capacity each year until 2035, including<br />
3,500 megawatts in solar and 1,500 megawatts in wind<br />
energy. We aim to reach a total of 60,000 megawatts of<br />
new installed capacity over the next 12 years, including<br />
<strong>2024</strong>.”<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
70
Umum Diesel, from generation to generation<br />
Manufacturing spare parts for diesel pumps and the revision of their pumps for<br />
over 40 years UMUM DIESEL has experienced and technical staff undertaking<br />
the production of many products and offering quality services.<br />
Having necessary materials, information, team and<br />
equipment to fulfill its commitments in a timely and<br />
complete manner, Umum Diesel has been offering<br />
maintenance, repair and overhaul of the pump injector<br />
systems of many diesel vehicles in addition to its<br />
manufacturing activities. The company always aims<br />
to do its best and to continuously increase customer<br />
satisfaction. We conducted an exclusive interview with<br />
Cihat Küçük, a partner and foreign Trade Manager of<br />
the company. Full text of the interview follows:<br />
Could you briefly introduce yourself and your<br />
company?<br />
Cihat KÜÇÜK, as the partner and Foreign Trade<br />
Manager of Umum Diesel company, I would like to<br />
give brief information about myself and our company.<br />
In June 1995, I was born in Konya. Although we<br />
have been in the industrial sector since a very young<br />
age, together with our Production Manager and my<br />
brother Abdullah KÜÇÜK, we grew up with our father<br />
Celal KÜÇÜK, who is also our company founder. His<br />
knowledge and experience about diesel fuel systems<br />
has made us one of the world giants today. Umum<br />
Diesel was founded in 1981 as a small workshop.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
72
Years of experience, knowledge, perseverance, as well<br />
as the understanding of “service to humanity” pushed<br />
us to production. Today, our company produces 7000<br />
kinds of products. And today, I can proudly say that<br />
our company, where I am the Foreign Trade Manager,<br />
exports to more than 150 points.<br />
What is in your product portfolio and what are<br />
the prominent factors in these products? Product<br />
development and R&D k1. Could you briefly<br />
introduce yourself and your company?<br />
Our product range is quite wide. We manufacture spare<br />
parts of pumps and injectors in diesel fuel systems. We<br />
manufacture valves, O-rings, repair kits and all other<br />
components. We are specialized especially in the valve<br />
group and there are only products that we produce as<br />
a sub-industry in the world. We follow current cases<br />
and take innovative steps.<br />
What makes you superior to your competitors?<br />
Our most important feature is that we love our job.<br />
Our goal was to succeed. Working with dedication<br />
accelerated our success. The value we give to our<br />
customers and the fact that we walk by considering<br />
their interests accelerated our steps.<br />
Are there any investments you are planning in the<br />
short, medium and long term?<br />
Our most important investment in the short term is<br />
to expand our R&D studies and to try to respond to<br />
the needs of the sector in the fastest way possible by<br />
filtering the data we have obtained as a result of our<br />
know-how and experience in manufacturing. In the<br />
long term, we aim to accelerate the production and<br />
shipment issues as much as possible by moving the<br />
number of our production facilities to different points<br />
around the world.<br />
Can you give details about your exports? What<br />
would you like to say about your current and target<br />
markets, foreign promotion, fair participation etc.<br />
strategies?<br />
Today, we export to more than 150 locations. We<br />
will continue to make our name known all over the<br />
world. We meet with our customers regularly and keep<br />
our bilateral relations close. The fairs we attend in<br />
many countries offer us the opportunity to meet new<br />
customers.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
73
Türkiye’s EV maker Togg starts<br />
working on new B-SUV model<br />
Turkish electric carmaker Togg has started working<br />
on a new T8X model, a B-segment sport utility vehicle<br />
(SUV), the firm’s CEO told Anadolu Agency (AA),<br />
hinting they plan to unveil the new model after sales of<br />
the T10F sedan commence next year.<br />
During a test drive at a Togg campus in Bursa,<br />
northwestern Türkiye, Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş said<br />
an all-wheel-drive version of the T10X will be offered<br />
for sale this June and July as a limited edition.<br />
“We continue our operations to gradually gain a<br />
foothold in Europe since the end of last year, and we<br />
already established our company, Togg Europe GmbH,<br />
in <strong>May</strong> 2021,” he said.<br />
“Currently, we’re building the infrastructure and we<br />
want to start the pre-order of the T10X in Europe at<br />
the end of this year and start the deliveries of the new<br />
2025 model,” he added.<br />
Karakaş said the carmaker’s overseas target market<br />
strategy was revised after monitoring market dynamics.<br />
They previously planned to start from Scandinavian<br />
countries, making their way to the Netherlands and<br />
Belgium, but there has been a change of plans.<br />
“The sector is advancing quickly and Chinese<br />
carmakers are spreading everywhere, which is why we<br />
decided to enter the markets of Europe, specifically<br />
the ‘triangle’ of Germany, France and Italy, which<br />
make up the biggest European car market, as we feel<br />
confident in our experience and in ourselves as a firm,”<br />
he explained.<br />
Karakaş stressed that they saw record demand for the<br />
new models they put out, as last year they sold all the<br />
vehicles they were planning to make during the year<br />
within 18 hours.<br />
Recent media reports in Türkiye pointed to an increase<br />
in interest in Togg in Europe, namely in Switzerland and<br />
Germany, while the German weekly magazine Stern<br />
also provided comprehensive coverage on the Turkish<br />
car maker and its CEO, including his long career at<br />
Bosch, highlighting Togg has turned into “an object of<br />
prestige for the Turks.”<br />
It also touched upon its contribution to the country’s<br />
economy, comparing it to that provided by flag carrier<br />
Turkish Airlines (THY).<br />
“From the sales, we saw that Türkiye is ready for<br />
such a change to electric vehicles, with customers<br />
purchasing the T10X consciously, and more than 80%<br />
of the sales were for the highest-end version of the<br />
vehicle, and since April 2023 to the end of the year, we<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
74
made the delivery of the first 20,000 vehicles,” he said.<br />
“There is not a single firm in the world known to<br />
have produced 20,000 units of vehicles in their first<br />
year of production and have sold them all, at least<br />
to our knowledge, which is why this is a remarkable<br />
success for our country and every one of us, marking<br />
it a pleasant beginning,” he added. At the same time,<br />
Togg’s sales maintained their momentum in the first<br />
quarter of this year as well propelling it to emerge as<br />
the market leader among electric vehicles with over<br />
4,000 units sold, according to recent industry data.<br />
“So we’re working night and day to follow through after<br />
our first success story.”<br />
Karakaş underlined that their success would continue<br />
with new models.<br />
“We unveiled the T10F in January, but we started<br />
working a year before, and similarly, we’re putting in<br />
efforts to bring success to our next models after the<br />
T10F, preparing the B-segment SUV T8X for this time<br />
next year,” he said.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
76
Cruise robotaxis back on<br />
the road with human drivers<br />
GM subsidiary Cruise on has said it plans to get its<br />
self-driving cars back on the road without human<br />
drivers after suspending robotaxi service late last year<br />
due to safety concerns.<br />
Vehicles driven by humans are out gathering mapping<br />
data in the Arizona city of Phoenix, which has been<br />
amenable to testing of autonomous cars deployed by<br />
Cruise and Google’s Waymo.<br />
“Our goal is to resume driverless operations,” Cruise<br />
said in a blog post.<br />
“At this stage, no autonomous systems are engaged<br />
and the vehicles will not carry public passengers.”<br />
Cruise suspended all operations of driverless cars in<br />
October after California authorities halted testing of its<br />
vehicles in the state citing safety concerns following a<br />
series of accidents.<br />
California’s decision came after a self-driving car<br />
operated by Cruise ran over a woman who had first<br />
been knocked in front of it by a hit-and-run driver in<br />
San Francisco.<br />
The company was criticized for not being as<br />
transparent as it could have been with regulators<br />
looking into that accident.<br />
“As we continue working to rebuild trust and determine<br />
the city where we will scale driverless, we also remain<br />
focused on continuing to improve our performance and<br />
overall safety approach,” Cruise said in the post.<br />
Since being founded in 2013, Cruise has provided<br />
hundreds of thousands of driverless trips to riders<br />
in San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, Houston and<br />
elsewhere, according to the company.<br />
Elon Musk revealed that Tesla will pull back the curtain<br />
on its own robotaxi this summer.<br />
The billionaire boss of the electric car maker did not<br />
provide details, saying only in his post on X that the<br />
“Tesla Robotaxi unveil” will come on August 8.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
78
Cruise ship arrivals in Türkiye hit<br />
13-year high in first 2 months<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
The number of cruise ships that arrived in Türkiye in<br />
the first two months of the year was recorded at the<br />
highest level in the last 13 years, local media reported<br />
recently, adding to the momentum observed last year<br />
when the ports within the country welcomed record 1.5<br />
million passengers.<br />
Some 23 ships docked at eight Turkish ports in<br />
January-February, accommodating 23,047 passengers,<br />
according to the data compiled by Demirören News<br />
Agency (DHA) from the Transport and Infrastructure<br />
Ministry.<br />
For the first time, 23 ships arrived at the ports in the<br />
stated period, compared to 14 cruisers that visited in<br />
the same period last year and only five in 2022 in the<br />
wake of the pandemic.<br />
Accordingly, the cruise ships docked at eight different<br />
ports in the first two months of the year, with Kuşadası<br />
port emerging as the busiest in terms of cruise ship<br />
traffic. Istanbul and Samsun, on the Black Sea coast,<br />
welcomed four cruise ships each, while two other<br />
northern ports, Trabzon and Amasra, welcomed three<br />
cruise ships each.<br />
During the same period, six cruise ships docked at the<br />
popular tourist destination Kuşadası in Aydın province.<br />
The western provinces of Çanakkale, Izmir, and Muğla<br />
received one cruise ship each in the January-February<br />
period, according to the official data.<br />
Compared to January and February last year, when<br />
some 10,480 visitors came on board 14 cruise ships,<br />
an increase of nearly 120% was observed in the<br />
number of passengers arriving at Turkish posts. At<br />
the same time, there was a 64% rise year-over-year in<br />
number of ships.<br />
Looking only at ship data, January and February <strong>2024</strong><br />
marked the highest number of ships arriving in these<br />
months since 2015.<br />
Although the number of ships in the first two months of<br />
the year exceeded the figures seen in 2011, 2013, and<br />
2015, the number of passengers fell slightly behind.<br />
Moreover, based on the data from the General<br />
Directorate of Maritime Affairs, in the 13-year period,<br />
the years with the highest number of cruise ships and<br />
passengers in January and February were as follows:<br />
15 ships with 28,923 passengers in 2011, 12 ships with<br />
29,474 passengers in 2013, and 22 ships with 22,484<br />
passengers in 2015.<br />
The lowest number of cruise ships arriving at Turkish<br />
ports in two-month period was observed in 2020,<br />
with a single ship and 823 passengers and a year<br />
earlier, with four ships that brought in 564 passengers,<br />
according to the data.<br />
The number of cruise ship passengers surged by<br />
nearly 50% annually in 2023 compared to the year<br />
before to more than 1.5 million, breaking a target set by<br />
the sector and officials.<br />
Lively cruise tourism and a boost in arrivals contribute<br />
significantly to overall performance in the tourism<br />
industry, one of the key pillars of the Turkish economy.<br />
Total foreign arrivals to the<br />
country reached nearly 2.3<br />
million in February, compared<br />
to the 1.87 million recorded<br />
in the same month last year,<br />
according to official data.<br />
This figure lifted the January-<br />
February arrivals by 12%<br />
year-over-year to 4.34 million,<br />
the Culture and Tourism<br />
Ministry data revealed earlier<br />
this month. Last year, Türkiye<br />
welcomed 49.2 million foreign<br />
holidaymakers, up 10.4% from<br />
2022. Türkiye aims to attract<br />
60 million visitors and generate<br />
$60 billion in tourism revenues<br />
in <strong>2024</strong>.<br />
80
Millions of recalled Hyundai,<br />
Kia vehicles remain on the road in US<br />
Hyundai and Kia have acknowledged that there’s little<br />
hope of repairing most of the affected vehicles until<br />
June. In September, Hyundai and Kia issued a recall of<br />
3.4 million of its vehicles in the United States with an<br />
ominous warning:<br />
The vehicles should be parked outdoors and away<br />
from buildings because they risked catching fire,<br />
whether the engines were on or off.<br />
Six months later, most of those autos remain on<br />
the road — unrepaired — putting their owners, their<br />
families and potentially other people in danger of fires<br />
that could spread to garages, houses or other vehicles.<br />
Hyundai and Kia have acknowledged that there’s<br />
little hope of repairing most of the affected vehicles<br />
until June or later, roughly nine months after they<br />
announced the recalls.<br />
The two companies attributed the delays, in part, to<br />
the huge number of vehicles involved, among the<br />
largest recalls they’ve ever done.<br />
The fires, they say, have occurred when brake fluid<br />
leaked onto the circuit boards of antilock braking<br />
systems, triggering an electrical short and igniting the<br />
fluid. The companies say they’ve been unable to obtain<br />
enough of the needed parts — fuses that reduce the<br />
boards’ electrical currents — to fix most of the affected<br />
vehicles.<br />
Among them are some of their top-selling models for<br />
the 2010 through 2017 years, including Hyundai’s<br />
Santa Fe and Elantra and Kia’s Sportage and Forte.<br />
Safety concerns<br />
Hyundai and Kia have urged the vehicles’ owners<br />
to contact the companies or dealers if they see<br />
dashboard warning lights or smell something burning.<br />
In the meantime, both companies contend that despite<br />
the ongoing risks, the cars remain safe to drive.<br />
When they announced the recalls in September, the<br />
two automakers reported that the defect had caused<br />
56 vehicle fires and “thermal incidents,” which include<br />
burning, melting and smoking.<br />
No injuries or deaths have been reported, either before<br />
or since the recalls were announced.<br />
Safety advocates complain, though, that the repairs<br />
are taking far longer than fixes from auto recalls<br />
normally do.<br />
Typically, such repairs begin though some can take<br />
longer if automakers cannot quickly determine the<br />
cause, which isn’t the case with the Hyundai-Kia<br />
problem.<br />
While awaiting repairs, owners of the affected vehicles<br />
need to park outside and away from other vehicles to<br />
minimise the risks.<br />
Advocates say they wonder, too, why regulators at the<br />
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration haven’t<br />
forced the companies to repair the leaks.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
82
Türkiye aims to reach<br />
7.2 GW nuclear capacity by 2035<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Türkiye aims to reach 7.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear<br />
capacity by 2035 and 20 gigawatts by 2050 in its<br />
energy mix, a senior official said Monday, highlighting<br />
the “critical role” nuclear energy plays in reaching the<br />
country’s net zero emission target.<br />
“We want to use renewable energy. There is a<br />
huge potential in our country. We want to increase<br />
the existing capacity. But we must balance these<br />
intermittent resources such as solar and wind with the<br />
base load,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister<br />
Alparslan Bayraktar said in his address at the two-day<br />
international nuclear energy event ATOMEXPO-<strong>2024</strong><br />
that kicked off in the Russian coastal city of Sochi.<br />
Nuclear energy plays a critical role in reaching the<br />
country’s 2053 net zero emission target, and to this<br />
end, a further two nuclear plants are planned in<br />
addition to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP),<br />
which is under construction in the Mersin province on<br />
the Mediterranean coast.<br />
Bayraktar noted that the targets set by Türkiye in<br />
nuclear energy are compatible with global nuclear<br />
energy targets and said, “We aim to reach a total of 12<br />
reactors and a nuclear power of 15,000 megawatts,<br />
with probably four reactors in three different locations<br />
in Türkiye.”<br />
“By 2050, that is, in the next 20-25 years, Türkiye<br />
needs to reach an installed capacity of 20,000<br />
megawatts,” he added.<br />
Bayraktar explained that the country’s nuclear energy<br />
program, which he described as a “huge undertaking”<br />
is in line with the declaration made at the last U.N.<br />
climate conference, COP28 when the international<br />
community agreed that the world needs to triple its<br />
nuclear capacity by 2050.<br />
He said that with the country’s expanding energy<br />
market, which is set to grow on average by 4% per<br />
annum over the next two decades, changes are<br />
required to the electricity market along with more<br />
energy to match the growth in industrial demand.<br />
To meet this demand, Ankara is set to prioritize more<br />
power generation from renewable sources as well as<br />
nuclear energy.<br />
“We have a great potential for renewables and energy<br />
efficiency, but we absolutely need to add nuclear<br />
energy into our energy mix,” Bayraktar said.<br />
The nuclear share of the country’s power basket will<br />
84
start with the construction of four reactors in the<br />
Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with the Russian<br />
State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), with the<br />
aim of reaching 7.2 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035<br />
and 20 GW by 2050.<br />
According to the minister, this capacity target can<br />
be achieved by initially installing 4.8 GW in Akkuyu,<br />
followed by another four reactors in a second plant<br />
in Sinop, and four more in a third plant in the Thrace<br />
region.<br />
Small modular reactors would also contribute around 5<br />
GW over the next 20 to 30 years, another area that the<br />
country would also prioritize over the next few years for<br />
the transition to carbon neutrality.<br />
To achieve the country’s decarbonization goal by 2053,<br />
Bayraktar said that the country not only needs to<br />
develop nuclear infrastructure but also to develop and<br />
train a professional and skilled workforce to develop<br />
this industry.<br />
He sees that cooperation with Rosatom and relevant<br />
private entities locally and internationally will enable<br />
this development.<br />
“We have a very important localization program with<br />
Rosatom, and we are actually building an ecosystem in<br />
Türkiye for nuclear energy.”<br />
Following the established cooperation with Rosatom<br />
for the construction of Türkiye’s first nuclear power<br />
plant, the Akkuyu plant in Mersin, Ankara would like<br />
to extend this partnership for the construction of<br />
the second plant in Sinop in the Black Sea region,<br />
Bayraktar said.<br />
He also shared that interest has been shown from<br />
other countries, and in particular companies in China<br />
and South Korea, for investment in the country’s<br />
nuclear market.<br />
Referring to the project in the Thrace region, Bayraktar<br />
said: “We have ongoing negotiations with China on the<br />
Thrace side. We want to clarify and finalize this year.<br />
We need to pass the agreement phase and move on to<br />
the construction.”<br />
Moreover, he reiterated the aim of commissioning the<br />
first reactor of Akkuyu NPP this year, highlighting the<br />
efforts he said were undertaken in this direction.<br />
The minister also called for a unified stance in tackling<br />
global issues such as climate change and global<br />
warming and in achieving carbon neutrality goals in<br />
order to ensure a secure, and brighter future.<br />
He also advocated for nuclear energy as part of this<br />
“better future,” arguing the need to remove all artificial<br />
barriers like trade restrictions and financial sanctions<br />
on this sector.<br />
Established in 2009, the ATOMEXPO International<br />
Forum is one of the key congress and exhibition events<br />
in the global nuclear industry.This year, over 4,500<br />
participants are attending the event from 75 countries,<br />
according to a statement from the organizers.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
85